The Life I lead
by The Weaving Wheel
Summary: For a while, Tangella is happy at Redwall. But she is a wanderer, never happy unless she is moving. The only thing that stands in the way of her freedom is Durem Swift, the champion climber of Redwall. He doesn’t want a pretty squirrelmaid like Tangella w


The Life I Lead

Summary: For a while, Tangella is happy at Redwall. But she is a wanderer, never happy unless she is moving. The only thing that stands in the way of her freedom is Durem Swift, the champion climber of Redwall. He doesn't want a pretty squirrelmaid like Tangella wandering Mossflower alone in times like these.

Disclaimer: Redwall, Mossflower and Salamandastron belong to Brian Jacques. Every one in this story belongs to me.

Prologue 

Rain poured down on Mossflower Wood as a young squirrel scrambled up a hollow tree to a small bed of dandelion fluff. She shook her fur dry and plucked an acorn from a pile in a side of the tree. Chewing thoughtfully, she opened a sack full of clinking trinkets. Pulling out a small knife, she inspected it thoroughly, 'twas a good blade, not as good as the blade she had swiped off a passing band of weasel thieves, but still well made.

Testing the blade on the remainder of the acorn, the squirrel's eyes roved the ground, she was expecting company. She had seen a squirrel in the treetops of the wood earlier that day, before it started raining. He had looked friendly enough, but you never could tell, so she had fled. Sadly for her, he had spotted her. She had run all day, the clanking of her sack giving away her position.

There! She saw movement on the woodland floor. Hunching down, she stuffed her nut pile into a hollow branch, so she wouldn't have to share any with this strange squirrel. Soon she heard to unmistakable sounds of somebeast climbing her tree. _Nosy beast! Why can't he leave me alone?_ She thought bitterly. With in seconds a young male squirrel tumbled inside. "Hello!" he said brightly, "Horrid weather, don't you think?" She stared at him dumbly as he sat in _her _tree talking to her as if they had been friends for seasons.

"I'm Durem Swift," he said finally, "Who are you?" She had to open her mouth a few times before she could respond. "I'm Tangella, Tangella of the Rook Wood clan." Durem Swift stuck out his paw. Tangella bristled, what did her want her to do? Durem rolled his eyes and grabbed her paw shaking it. "Where d'you live, Durem Swift?" Tangella asked suddenly. Where ever it was, he should be getting back!

Durem shrugged, "Hither and yon." Tangella glared at him. "Okay, I live in Redwall Abbey, with my parents." _Oh, _Tangella thought, _a respectable Redwall Abbey squirrel._ She only nodded.

"Tangella? Can I ask you something?" Durem asked. Tangella nodded curtly. "How many seasons are you?" Tangella's eyes widened in shock, "Erm, 'bout 15 seasons I think." Durem smiled, "So am I!" "Why is that a good thing?" Tangella asked, her voice growing threatening. What was he trying to say?

Durem turned, for the first time Tangella spotted a sack he had been carrying. He produced a small package and handed it to Tangella. "Do you like mushroom and leek pasties?" he asked.

She sniffed it suspiciously, took of the dock leaf wrapping and took a huge bite. She grunted with satisfaction, swallowed and took another bite.

"Good?" Durem asked, a smile playing across his lips. Tangella's mouth was too full to reply so she nodded. "Want another?" he asked. Again she nodded, cramming the last bits into her mouth.

The young squirrel produced another package, which was hastily grabbed from his hand. Tangella was so intent on the food; she didn't see the look of sorrow on Durem's face. She bit in again and was instantly engulfed in blackness.

Tangella woke with a pounding in her head and voices all around her.

"What'd ye do to the pore creature, Durem?"

"I gave her one of Brother Antony's mushroom pasties. And a normal one so she would trust me."

"Heh, I doubt she'll ever trust ye agin, Durem, my lad,"

Tangella finally opened her eyes and sat up. Instantly a weathered squirrel wife was at Tangella's side, thrusting a mug of water into her paws.

"Here, dear, drink this up, 'twill make ye feel better," the squirrel wife said.

Tangella took a small sip and asked, "Where am I? Who are you? Where is this place?"

Durem looked guilty as Tangella's gaze fell on him. She made a face at him as the old female squirrel replied, "I'm Granny Margie; that old thorn is Old Thom Treeclimber. The young rip who brought ye here is me grandson, Durem Swift, son o' me daughter, Faye Goldenclaw. Ye're in the sick bay in Redwall Abbey of Mossflower Wood."

Tangella gave an indignant shriek and her mug flew from her paws, crashing onto the floor, drenching Durem and throwing pottery shards every which way. "Ye drugged me and brought me to Redwall!" Tangella yelped.

Durem bit his lip, "Sorry, Tangella! I'm sorry I couldn't tell you what w- I was planning!"

Granny Margie yelped, "Ye didn't tell the young lass, you rip! Thom is right, she'll never trust ye agin!"

Durem yelped, "I _said _I was _sorry_!"

Tangella and Margie snapped at the same time, "Fat lot o' 'elp that'll do ye!" They turned and grinned at each other.

"Oh, Granny Margie, you said Faye Goldenclaw was yore daughter?" Tangella asked. Margie nodded and Tangella went on, "Then have you ever heard of Myra Slippaw?"

Margie snorted, "Heard o' 'er? I'd say I heard o' 'er! We was the best o' friends when we was lasses. Why do ye ask?"

Tangella ducked her head, "I didn't tell you my full name."

Old Thom Treeclimber grunted, "Ye didn't tell us yer name at all, 'twas young Durem who said yer name is Tangella."

Tangella glared at Durem and continued, "Well my full name is Hegran Tangella Myrathi Swiftpaw of the Rook Wood clan, Old Myra Slippaw was me mum's mum. Mum said she talked of one Margie Squirrel a lot, says Margie liked bein' called 'Granny' or 'Granny Margie' even in 'er younger days."

Margie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with the corner of her apron, "But what does that 'ave t' do with me Faye?"

Tangella had completely forgotten about Durem in light of her new found friend in Granny Margie. "Did Faye know Marathi?" Poor Granny Margie nodded dumbly. "Marathi of Rock Wood is my mum," Tangella stated bluntly.

"You mean our mums knew each other?" Durem yelped.

Tangella turned an icy glare on the unsuspecting young squirrel, "That's what I _said_ isn't it?" She struggled out of the bed and nearly collapsed into Granny Margie's arms. She rubbed her grumbling stomach; she hadn't eaten since the drugged mushroom and leak pasty.

Granny Margie instantly took her paw with a muttered, "Let's go see if Friar Gorse has any scones or cakes lying about." Margie led Tangella out of the infirmary, down several flights of stairs across the Cavern Hole and into the kitchens. And oh what kitchens they were!

Tangella had never seen so much food in one place, just waiting to be eaten! There were scones, muffins, cakes, meddowcream, tarts, trifles, flans and many other sweet treats one big table. Summer salads, pasties, deeper 'n' ever turnip 'n' tater 'n' beetroot pie, turnovers, savoury flans, stews, stuffed squashes, and a carrot and apple salad, covered a second table. Of course I only mentioned the majority!

Friar Gorse was a big mouse, not fat per say, but well worked. His kindly face was always dusted, or covered, in flour. Nothing he did seemed to get the flour off, which may be because his paws always had a thick coating of flour on them.

"Fine day for a cake, isn't it, Friar!" Margie asked.

Gorse sighed, "Yes I suppose, unless you are Mother Abbess Kina, of course."

"O' course," Margie agreed, "Wait, what happened to Mother Kina?"

"That rascal Sualokin put a pebble in the batter, the good Mother got the slice, bit into it and a tooth fell out. He says it was meant for Eve Dormouse."

A very young male squirrel popped up from inside a pot a mole was about to pour boiling water into. "You was about to pour wadder on Sualokin, tsk, tsk, tha' not very nice!" the squirrel, Sualokin, insisted.

The molemaid, Fryna, glared at Sualokin and grumbled, "Oi bees gurtly sorry, maister Sualokeen. Iffn you'm 'andn't been hoidin' in yon pot, you'm moight not o' been in danger o' becummin' boiled squirrel."

When the friar and Granny Margie weren't looking, Tangella swiped a meddowcream smothered raspberry scone. Sualokin watched her hide her mouth with a paw. "What you doing, miss squirrelly?" he asked suddenly.

The friar and Granny turned to Tangella, who was fighting to down a chunk of scone. Margie stifled a giggle and said to the bemused friar, "Friar Gorse, meet Tangella, the newest member of our Abbey. Forgive her, Friar, that rascal gran'son o' mine gave her a drugged pasty last night an' tha' was the last thing she ate."

"Ontill now, tsk tsk, you stolded a scone!" Sualokin shook his tiny fist at Tangella.

Gorse groaned, "Great, now he'll rally all the Dibbuns to raid me kitchens and steal all the scones."

"Yip!" Sualokin said cheerfully. "All da Dibbuns come and raid kichings and den I say tsk tsk! All Dibbuns 'cept Eve the perfect door-mousey, tsk tsk ta her too!"

"Now, now, young Sualokin, don't make false accusations if you can't uphold them." Friar Gorse said in a lecturing voice. Sualokin made a rude face at him and leapt form the pot with a grace Tangella thought a very fat mole couldn't envy. With a crash and a splat, Sualokin landed in a cauldron of potato and barley stew, set out to simmer.

The wail uttered from the pot was heart-wrenching; Granny Margie and Friar Gorse rushed to fish the little squirrel from a death of being boiled in with spuds. Tangella clapped a hand to her mouth and rushed out of the kitchen, her mother had been killed in a fire when a mismatched group of vermin attacked Rook Wood; she had only been six seasons old and had listened to her mother's dieing shrieks.

"Help, please! Somebeast needs help in the kitchens! Please!" Tangella shrieked as soon as she reached the Great Hall. A greying hare looked up from a table where piles of extremely straight saplings had been placed along with threescore triangular rocks. Tangella ran up to the hare, switching into the hare's native dialect. "A jolly little one got into a spot o' bally trouble, wot!"

The hare looked at her like she was insane. "My dear young squirrel, what in the name of Martin the Warrior are you talking about?"

Tangella blinked, "A little one, a… a… a Dibbun is in trouble! Hurled himself into a flamin' pot o' stew or some such." The hare's eyes widened with horror and leaped up, pulling Tangella by her tail back towards the kitchen.

"Missy, exactly which Dibbun is in this pot of stew?"

"Sualokin I'm thinkin' his name is."

"That flamin' rascal is always in some trouble or another. Miss, where's Margie?"

"Kitchens!" Tangella panted, her legs threatening to give way.

The hare slowed suddenly, looking at Tangella oddly. "I don't recognise you, Missy, what's your name?"

Tangella knew this was coming. "Me name isHegran Tangella Myrathi Swiftpaw of the Rook Wood clan, but I'm just called Tangella."

"Well, 'Just Tangella' my name is Moonshadow di Faratcur, Redwall's resident armourer and counter-of-the-goods. I am currently working on arrows for our resident badger mother, Mother Kityan of the North Mountains, hence the piles of saplings and rocks. Sualokin is technically _my _responsibility; I found him and brought him here, so I'd better go help him, _again_. You look like a smart creature, so if you could debark some saplings, I'll rescue Sualokin and then I'll bring a nice tray of nut bread, scones and what ever else I can find the kitchens for you, you look famished. Oh, on my honour as a hare, nothing will be drugged."

Tangella nodded gratefully and hobbled to the pile of sticks and began her work.


End file.
